Togo: What to remember about the important change operated by H.E Faure Gnassingbé, within the army.

While the north of Togo is undergoing terrorist attacks, the Minister of the Armed Forces and the Chief of Staff are dismissed. Speculation is rife.

Mrs Marguerite Gnakade has been relieved of her duties as Minister of the Armed Forces by a decree issued by the Togolese Head of State, His Excellency Faure Gnassingbé.

The Ministry of the Armed Forces will henceforth be directly attached to the Presidency, under the orders of President Faure Gnassingbé, as was the case from 2007 to 2020. There will therefore be no new Minister of the Armed Forces.

Some Togolese appreciate this change. An important change also affects the military staff: Colonel Tassounti Djato, promoted to Air Brigadier General, is appointed Chief of Staff to replace General Dadja Maganawé.

The Chief of Staff is out of the running, the Minister of Defence is out of the running. This means that there have been some recent developments that have not been in the desired direction or people have taken initiatives without necessarily having the approval of the head of state. In the current context of the fight against terrorism, the fight must be embodied by the Head of State himself.

These changes come at a time when northern Togo has been facing terrorist attacks for several months. Is this the manifestation of a will and the beginning of the implementation of new actions in the fight against terrorism? To be continued…

Miss OLY